New Friends and New Enemies
by acting girl
Summary: A new Ghost Whisperer is in town, but is she all that she seems to be? Mel X Rick Eli X OC -- This is set after Jim is out of Sam's body and has crossed over
1. The Return and Arrival

AN – I don't own Ghost Whisperer, or the characters. Just love the show, just like everyone else on this site :-)

~Chapter One~

Rick Payne was digging through his paperwork, obviously very stressed, his office was covered in boxes and what was not in boxes was all spread in disarray around his desk. "God damn it!" He shouted numerous times. He never even noticed Melinda walking through the door, which seemed to happen a lot. He had been looking through his papers for hours trying to find the file on his new assistant student professor that would be joining him for the year. "Where is it?" He asked with much irritation.

"Where's what?" Melinda asked the scatterbrained professor as she went to sit down on a chair. She picked up a manila envelope and placed it in her lap.

Rick looked up with surprise as he heard Melinda's voice in his office. He looked at her, "The folder on my new assistant! I can't find it and she gets here today!" He exclaimed. He turned away from her and started digging through more piles of paper.

Melinda looked inquisitive. She looked at the envelope that was in her lap. "Umm, is her name Jordan Frank?" She asked.

Rick turned around and looked at Melinda, "yes…please don't tell me she's dead and is standing next to me, because that would…that would not be very helpful." He said seeming to plead with her.

Melinda smiled and shook her head with endearment. She turned the envelope over so Rick could see the name on the envelope. "No, she's not a ghost." She said with a chuckle.

Rick looked thrilled as he grabbed the envelope away from Melinda, "this is great!" He said with excitement. He looked back to Melinda, "This is why I love you – " he said and then cut himself off. He wasn't sure what life was going to be like, now that he was back and Jim was gone. He smiled, "What can I do for you?" He asked.

Melinda shook her head, "I just wanted to see how you were doing getting all set back up in your office." She said as she noticed he had barely done any unpacking. "Obviously, you aren't doing well." She mocked him.

Rick looked at her with irritation, "No, because I haven't had time. The university obviously thinks that I need to make up for my sabbatical last year and has doubled my class load this year!" He let out, almost cathartically. "Which is why, I am getting an assistant…" He explained.

"But, she's a student still right? From another university, here to learn how to be a professor?" Melinda asked and waited for a nod from the professor. "It's not like she's an office assistant where she does your bidding." She explained realistically.

Rick shook his head, "Oh, no…she will…she will do my bidding because I will make her." He stated coldly. "I had to do it as a student professor, so will she." He said as he started to dig through the information he had on her.

Melinda looked a little sorry for the future student professor; Rick was not someone you want to be around in a bad mood. "What made her study the occult?" She inquired.

Rick shrugged with uncertainty, "They don't tell us that kind of thing, but it does say she studied at some school in Minnesota for her undergrad degree in anthropology. Then she moved to Seattle for her graduate degree in Anthropology in the archeology department. Minus her locations, she's like a little mini-me!" He said with his bad mood shifting to excitement.

Melinda smiled, she was happy to see Rick so happy all of a sudden. "When is she supposed to be here?" She asked him.

Rick looked at her, "in about ten minutes…want to stick around and meet her?" He asked.

Melinda shook her head and said, "No, you get to know your new assistant and bring her by the store sometime, then I will meet her." She began to walk out when she was stopped by a gentle hand. She turned to see Rick staring into her face.

"Melinda," he started, "I don't know if this is the right time, or if there is ever a right time. But," He said, beginning to sound nervous.

Melinda knew where this was headed. She smiled and without allowing him to finish she said, "When the time is right…" She turned and walked out of the professor's office.

Rick smiled with a touch of disappointment behind his smile. He went and took a seat at his desk and began to read the profile on Jordan Franks.

"But, why are you dodging this? You have known about his feelings for years, you both have been through a very traumatic thing, and you care about him very much." Delia explained to Melinda, later in the store as she filled the shelves with their latest success at a state sale.

"Because, it doesn't feel right. Not now, not so soon after…after the whole Sam thing." She said, with what sounded like tears beginning to manifest in her eyes.

Delia looked at her friend with sadness, "Melinda…"

Melinda looked at Delia, "I mean, Jim was released from Sam's body and finally crossed over, because he knew everything was over, but that doesn't fix the pain. It doesn't fix the fact that I got to mourn my husband twice. It doesn't fix anything." She said now with tears falling from her eyes like a waterfall.

Delia nodded, also with tears. She knew this pain; she knew how it felt like the pain would never end and how the pain was so heavy on the heart that you can literally feel your heart break. She reached out her hands and brought Melinda into them with a deep loving hug.

The two stood in the store and they cried together for a few minutes until Melinda realized it was time to open the store. She broke her hug with Delia and smiled sweetly at her friend. She wiped the tears from her face and got the store ready to open. "We have a long day ahead of us, so we better get a head start on it now." She said seeming as though she had never been crying.

Delia was always amazed at Melinda's resiliency, her ability to bounce back without a second thought. She smiled and started back to work, "You got it boss." She said with enthusiasm.

While Melinda was at work selling her antiques, Rick waited impatiently for his new assistant, who was late. Rick couldn't wait any longer; he grabbed his stuff and started out to the door of his office where he ran into a young woman. Both fell to the ground.

The young woman was in her mid twenties. She looked at the professor with her blue eyes, "Are you alright?" She asked as she stood and offered her hand to help him up. Her brown hair fell over her shoulders, but just barely.

"No, I am not alright!" Rick exclaimed, his bad mood back and fiercer with his irritation of Jordan's absence. "I am running late because of my new assistant, but you don't want to or need to hear this. Good day." He said as he started to walk off.

"Your assistant…was her name Jordan Frank?" the young girl asked.

Rick rolled his eyes and turned around, "Why is everyone doing that today?" He asked out loud to himself. "Yes, and if you are her, which you better not be, but if you are, I am very angry." He said to her.

"Well, I am sorry to make you so angry." She said to him, "But I am Jordan, sorry I am late…I just got into town from Seattle today." She said to him.

"Well that doesn't matter now, let's get to class. Are you prepared for your lecture?" He asked as he started to walk expecting her to follow.

Jordan was caught by surprise by the sudden movement by the professor, but she followed anyway. She was able to hear everything he had said even if she had to run to catch up. "Umm, yes." She said as she went over the notes in her head. "This class is about the theories that surround the idea of ghosts right?" She asked.

Rick nodded, "Quick question, are you a skeptic or are you a believer?" He blatantly asked.

"Believer." Was all she stated.

Rick looked at her and smiled, and she smiled back at him. "So, tell me about yourself." He requested.

She looked down to the ground, "Well, I am twenty seven and this is the last thing I need to do before I can get my PhD. I was born and raised in Minnesota, my parents still live there, but my sister has come with me though it all, undergrad, masters, doctorate school, she's my best friend." She explained to the professor, "Anything else you want to know?" She asked.

"No, I am fully satisfied." He said as they entered the lecture hall. "Hello students, and welcome to a new semester of Payne-full classes." He joked, he bent over to Jordan, "I like and take full advantages of puns, and you will soon learn, for most students, that pun was true." He looked back out to the students who sat seeming to be bored, some there for their major some with their minor. Some trying to get a general taken care of. "I see some familiar faces; the smart ones are in the back…or are you so smart?" Payne's voice had become cold, as if he was a different person, he was still joking with them, but he was in professor mode.

Jordan looked on with admiration. She had always wanted to be a professor, even though she didn't want to be cold, but she wanted to be exactly like what she saw from Professor Payne.

Rick turned to Jordan, "This is Jordan Frank, you can all call her Professor Frank this semester. She is a student professor from the University of Washington. After we get through our syllabus she will give you a short lecture about ghosts and the myths that surround them." He explained to the students. "So, shall we get started?" He asked the students as he and Jordan began to pass out papers to the students.

Later in class, Jordan was just finishing her lecture. "So, who here in this class right now, believes in ghosts?" She waited for a few moments, as no one raised their hands, "come on, and don't be shy." She said to the students as she approached them. She raised her hand and stated, "I am not ashamed to admit that I believe in them." She turned to Rick, "Professor Payne, are you a believer?" She asked.

Rick smiled, "Why, yes I am, Professor Frank." He said as he too raised his hand. He was impressed with her lecture, and it was only getting better.

She turned and saw a fraction of the students that now held their hand in the air. She smirked, "Well, my goal for the end of the semester, is to change this outcome…" she turned to Rick and nodded to him.

Rick stood and said, "And that ladies and gentlemen, is the end of class."

The students all stood, all but one left in what seemed to be in a hurry. The one that remained was Ned Banks, Delia's now college aged son. He stood and joined the other two down on the lecture floor. "Great lecture." He said to the new professor.

Jordan smiled, "Thanks see you next class." She said, not knowing his connection with Rick.

Rick laughed, "Jordan, this is Ned…he's the son of a friend." He explained. He then looked back to Ned, "You better have raised your hand."

Ned nodded, "I was the first one…but I hate to admit I didn't right away." He explained. "So, have you met Melinda yet?" He asked.

Rick looked at him and shook his head. He grabbed Jordan by the arm and laughed nervously, "Well Ned, I am sure you have another class to get to, and we have…unpacking to do." He said as he rushed out of the lecture hall.

Jordan made Rick let go of her arm, "Who is Melinda?" She asked him.

Rick stopped and looked at her, "To be honest she is the love of my life." He explained to her. "But we have a lot to do today…correction; **you** have a lot to do." He said with a smile as he dashed her to his office.

After class, Ned went to town square to visit his mom and Melinda at the store. He made the bell on the door go off as he entered the store.

Delia walked in from the back and saw her son standing by the counter. "Hey honey! How was your first day of class?" She asked him.

Ned smiled and nodded, "it was good; I met Professor Payne's new assistant professor." He told his mother.

"What's she like?" Delia asked.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to her much, they had work to do I guess." He explained, "But I met her. Where's Melinda?" He asked.

"She headed to Village Java for the regular; I can give her a quick call if you want something." Delia offered as she reached for her cell phone.

Ned shook his head and said, "No, that's ok. I just stopped by for a little chat." He explained. "I do miss you, you know." He told his mother.

Delia was relieved to hear that she was missed; she was caught off guard when Ned told her that he wanted to live on campus for the first couple of years. Now she knew that it was never because of her that he moved out, which she always knew, but somewhere deep inside her, her heart broke as a mother. "I miss you too; the house has been so empty without you." She told him.

Melinda dashed into the shop right in the middle of this mother/son moment. "Delia!" She exclaimed. She then saw Ned standing next to his mother, "Oh Ned, Hi…" she said seemingly in a desperate tone. She turned back to Delia, "You guys will never guess who just walked back into our lives!" She exclaimed in a panic.

Delia was alarmed, she knew it was ghost related but she didn't know who or what was happening. "What, who?" She asked worried about her friend.

Melinda made a motion with her hand for the two of them to follow her to the window. She pointed to a dark skinned man standing in the center of town square next to the military statue.

The man standing to the other side of the street was none other than Gabriel Gordon, the very man that caused Melinda's momentary death a few years ago, and has caused her permanent emotional damage as well as damage to the light itself.

"Oh my God…" Ned said in astonishment.

"This can't mean good things." Delia added in her own astonishment.

In the meantime, Rick had gotten Jordan back to his office and had her unpacking his office as he lounged in his chair. "Those books go there." He said to her with a pile of books in her arms.

Jordan nodded with irritation, "Why aren't you helping?" She asked her fellow professor.

Rick didn't even answer; he just let out a little laugh. After awhile he finally stated, "I am hard at work on grading." He said.

Jordan shook her head as she placed the books on the shelf.

Rick stood and told her, "I need to go take a quick bathroom break. I will be right back."

Jordan nodded and watched him leave the office. She continued to take books from boxes on the floor and placed them on the shelves around Rick's office. After a few minutes she took a break and began to unpack some of her own personal boxes and decided to dress up her own desk.

A young man walked into the office, he stood at about six feet and he had shaggy brown hair. He saw Jordan at her desk, "I'm sorry, is Professor Payne here?" He asked.

Jordan looked up and shook her head, "No, he took a break…can I help you with something?" She asked.

"No, I will just come back a little later." He said to her as he walked out of the office.

Jordan watched the student leave with a look on her face as if she were in mental pain. She got up and began to unpack more of Rick's boxes.

Rick returned to his office about ten minutes after leaving. He grabbed some books from his boxes and began to place them on the shelves with Jordan, "Did anyone come by at all?" He asked.

Jordan glanced over to Rick and nodded, "One student came by. He didn't leave a name or anything." She informed him.

At that moment Eli entered Rick's office, "Hey, Payne…" He said as he caught a glance of Jordan. He was mesmerized by her, she was beautiful in his eyes, "Who, uh, who is this?" He asked.

Rick looked over to his colleague, "This is Jordan Frank, and she's my assistant student professor." He explained.

Jordan turned around and smiled, "Hi." She greeted.

Eli smiled and held out his hand for a shake, "Hi…I am Eli James."

Jordan grabbed his hand and began to shake hands with the psychology professor. "Nice to meet you." She said in a very friendly manner.

Rick looked at the two of them with a smirk; he saw the spark between them. However, he also knew it had to end for now. "Is there a reason you came to see me, Eli?"

Eli broke from his trance that he was in over Jordan and turned to Rick, "Yes, I came to bring you some of my papers and wondered if you could check the information, one used a lot of Anthropology stuff." He explained as he handed some papers to Rick.

Rick nodded, "I will go over them tonight, but the semester just started, how could you have papers already?" He asked.

"I emailed all of my students asking them for a little paper for the first day of class." He informed Rick.

The young man from before walked in again and saw Rick standing in his office, "Professor Payne, there you are!" He exclaimed with minor excitement.

Rick seemed to ignore the young man and continued to look through the papers.

Jordan glanced over at the young man and quickly looked away.

Eli turned and looked around. After awhile he realized there was a ghost in their midst. He wasn't sure how to tell Rick, he looked over to Jordan who looked a bit nervous. He wondered why she seemed so nervous, "Uh…Rick…" He stated quietly.

Rick turned and saw that the two people in his office were nervous; he wasn't sure what to think. "What?" He asked.

The ghost of the young man approached Jordan, "Why is he ignoring me?" He asked in exclamation. "You can see and hear me!" He yelled.

Jordan shook her head and walked away.

Eli's heart dropped after he heard the ghost speak. _She can see ghosts!_ He thought to himself. He grabbed Rick by the arm and whispered into his ear, "There's a ghost, looking for you. And I think Jordan here…can see him."

Rick's eyes widened, "You have got to be kidding." He whispered back.

Eli shook his head and looked at Jordan, "Jordan, let me show you around campus a little, how does that sound?" He asked. He looked back to Rick, "Maybe we can meet at Mel's shop later. All of us?" He proposed.

Rick nodded and looked at Jordan, "You can go if you want." He told the young woman.

Jordan nodded, she just wanted to be away from this situation and soon. She didn't want anyone to know her little secret, even if Rick claimed to be a believer. She walked out the door with Eli.

Rick looked around, "Look, I can't see or hear you…if you wait, and come with to Melinda's store, I will let you talk to her and we can deal with whatever it is you need from me." He said. He shook his head afterwards. He still couldn't believe he believed in this. It made no sense at all.

The ghost of the young man looked disappointed, "Why can't you see or hear me?" He didn't know he was dead; he had only died that night and was still rather confused. He waited a little while and then disappeared in disappointment.

Later, as proposed, Jordan and Eli got to the antique store to meet Rick. They walked in and saw Delia standing with a customer. "That's Delia, she's Melinda's partner in this business." Eli explained to Jordan.

Delia heard her name; she looked over and smiled, "This would be an excellent gift for your wife." She told the customer.

The elderly customer let out a little laugh and said, "Sold!" He was enthusiastic, "This is our fiftieth, and I want it to be special." He said.

Delia found this so romantic. She smiled a bittersweet smile, she could only wish she and Charlie had made it to their fiftieth. "Well, should we get you rung up?" She asked.

The man nodded and walked with Delia to the counter. "Could you gift wrap it?" He wondered.

Delia nodded, "I can deliver it as well all I need is your address and signature right here." She informed him.

The man did so and paid for his gift and proceeded to leave.

After the man left Delia walked up to Eli and this new girl, "Hey there, who do we have here?" She asked.

Jordan reached out her hand, "I am Jordan Frank, Rick Payne's new little assistant student professor. It's very nice to meet you." She said with a smile.

Delia shook her hand, "Nice to meet you." She looked around and said, "Melinda is around here somewhere. I will check in the basement." Delia proceeded into the back and went down to the basement, there she found Melinda going through a box. "Mel, Rick's assistant is here." She said to her.

Melinda looked up with surprise, "Here? Great!" She said with enthusiasm. She jumped up and walked with Delia back up to the store front. There she saw the pretty young woman with Eli, "Oh, I figured I would have seen Rick up here with you." She laughed.

Eli smiled, "I showed her around a little, Rick should be here shortly." He informed his friend. "In the meantime, this is Jordan Frank." He said as he motioned to Jordan.

Melinda smiled her regular sweet smile and held out her hand, "Wonderful to meet you, I am Melinda."

Rick walked into the store, "Ahh, you two beat me here. Well so now everyone knows everyone and Melinda, we need to talk." Rick said with the fakest smile on his face. He pushed Melinda into the back room and proceeded to tell her what he needed to tell her. "So, pretty sure, my new little assistant here can see ghosts."

Melinda's eyes widened. This was getting crazy, granted it had been awhile since she ran into someone else she knew could also see ghosts. Eli was the last one, and he couldn't see them, and he was a special case. "How do you know?" She asked him.

"Eli was in my office and heard a ghost; he said that she acknowledged him or something. I told the ghost, hoping he heard me, to meet me here so you could talk to him. But what I really want you to do is talk to her." He explained.

Melinda nodded and walked out followed closely by Rick. She saw a ghost, not sure if it was the one that Rick was talking about. She looked at Jordan and approached her. "There's one more introduction that needs to be made." She said to her.

Jordan looked at her confusedly. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she was game. She let Melinda guide her to the ghost, now she was more afraid than anything. "Can you see this man?" She asked.

The others watched knowing what was going on. Delia was the only one who didn't know Jordan's secret.

Jordan was shocked; she realized that Melinda could see them too. However, she looked away, "See what?" She asked.

Melinda sighed; she realized this was going to take work. People like her weren't too trusting; they were given every reason to not be trusting. "It's ok, I see him." She said.

Jordan turned to Melinda, "See who?" She asked, now irritated.

Melinda turned to Eli, "Are you sure about this?" She asked him.

Eli nodded, "The ghost said that she had seen and talked to him before."

Melinda turned to Jordan, "What do you have to say?"

Jordan hated the idea of calling Melinda crazy, since that is what she had heard all her life, but she knew in order to keep this secret, she had to say it. "I think you people might be a little crazy."

The ghost, who was indeed the young man from before, looked at Melinda, "She's lying, she did see me. I came to see Professor Payne. What is going on, why can you two see me and the others can't?"

Melinda turned to the two professors, "Where there any deaths on campus recently?" She asked. She knew that ghosts who didn't know they were dead were usually newly dead.

Rick nodded, "Someone who was on my roster died last night, they say he had a heart attack. He was an anthropology major, so I knew him." He said to Melinda. "Is that who's here? His name was Benjamin Berone." He explained.

Melinda turned to him, "Is that your name?" She asked.

Benjamin nodded, "Yeah…but I can't be dead." He said allowing the denial to creep in.

Melinda looked at Benjamin with hurt in her eyes, "I know you are confused right now, but I can help. Do you see a light?" She asked him.

Jordan looked at the ghost painfully. She wasn't sure to handle this situation; she just wanted it to go away.

Benjamin shook his head no, "Am I really dead?" He asked Melinda.

Melinda nodded, "I am so sorry, you had a heart attack. It's normal for ghosts to not realize they are dead at first." She said to him. "Do you have any idea what your unfinished business is?" She asked. "Why did you come to Rick's office today?" She asked hoping that would give her some clue.

Benjamin looked down, "I know this sounds dumb. But in high school, I was the all time jock. I got to college and realized I was possibly good at anthropology, and archeology. I was actually smart for once, not the dumb jock." He started as he glanced at Rick, "I wanted to thank Professor Payne for all he had done, and I wanted to know if he thought I had a possible future." He finished.

Melinda turned to Rick, "He wants to thank you, for being a good professor and he wanted to know if, had he lived, he had any future in archeology." She told her friend.

Rick was amazed at this, yes he knew who Benjamin was, and yes he had a future. He was sometimes amazed at the research papers he had received the last two semesters from this just out of high school student. But what amazed him was that he stood out to a student. It wasn't the first time, but somehow, he just always seems to be touched when he touches a student like that. "Ben, yes, had you stayed alive; I would have been honored to have gone on a dig with you." He said to the air.

Benjamin smiled and then noticed something off into the distance, "What is that?" He asked, "Is that the light you talked about before?"

Melinda nodded, "Yes, I guess all you needed to know is if you wasted your time or not doing what you were doing. Now that you know you were not wasting time, you are free to go into it."

"What's there?" He asked.

"From my experience, people see loved ones…and feel peace. It's a good place, that's all you need to know." She said to him.

Benjamin began to tear up, "I see my mom and my baby brother. They died in a car crash two years ago." He said with excitement. "They want me to come." He said as he began to follow them. "Tell Payne, that he is one of the greatest professors, he just needs to realize it." He said before he walked into the light. He then looked at Jordan, "its ok, you are safe in this place, trust them." He finished as he disappeared into the light.

Melinda looked at Jordan, "I think we have a lot to talk about, don't we?" She asked.

Jordan nodded, tears running down her face. "I would like that a lot, Melinda." She said as she walked up to her.


	2. New Developments

AN – Nope, still don't own it – sorry it took so long to upload. Didn't have time…now I do! :-D

Recap – When last we left our characters…Rick Payne has returned from his sabbatical and is considering pursuing a relationship with the now widowed Melinda. His new assistant and Eli seem to have some kind of spark between the two of them, and she (Rick's assistant) can see ghosts.

~Chapter 2~

Melinda had left the store in Delia's care as she decided to take Jordan for a little walk. The two ghost whisperers walked around town square with coffee that they had gotten from Village Java. Melinda started the conversation, "How long have you been able to see them?"

Jordan shrugged, "for as long as I can remember, it was hard growing up, because no one else in my life could see them."

Melinda nodded; she knew what it felt like to be an outcast because of the spirits that surrounded her. "Yes, but someone in your family must have seen a ghost." She said.

Jordan shook her head, "my parents saw nothing. My sister never sees any of them either, and she's the only one who ever believed me." She answered.

Melinda was reminded of the young girl she met before, "I guess it may be more common for it to not be genetic then." She said, "See, my family, well my mom's side, could all see ghosts. My Grandma sort of trained me. She taught me about the light and how ghosts should go into it." She explained.

Jordan turned to Melinda with a very concerned expression, "Melinda, what do you know about the light?" She asked. "I have heard about it, but…" she stopped herself.

Melinda's eyes met her fellow ghost "buster," "but what?" she asked. "All I do know is that all spirits need to go through it. It is just the way it works. It's always been that way." She explained.

"But, if they could stay…shouldn't they be able to?" Jordan asked.

Melinda shook her head, "any spirit can stay, but they shouldn't. This world is meant for the living, it's the next world that they are meant for, what we are all eventually meant for." Melinda continued to explain to her protégée.

Jordan nodded and looked down to the ground, "You know so much about this. I never got to learn much. I spent most of my time being told I was crazy. Even my own parents thought I was crazy. So they started sending me to shrinks and tried to get me medicated. I finally just stopped talking about it and most people forgot about it." She explained about herself, she then looked to the watch around her wrist. "I better head back; Rick and I have a class at three." She said as she started off in another direction, "We will talk more about all of this later." She said as she turned back to Melinda.

Melinda nodded and waved goodbye to Jordan. Then she started back to the store. She didn't make it all the way back before she heard a very familiar voice. She glanced into an alley and saw Gabriel speaking to a spirit.

"Perhaps you should go and be with the other spirits in my care. You can trust me; there are many people like me that you can't trust." He said to the spirit of an elderly man.

The man looked so frightened; he had also had a look of sadness streaming from his eyes. He was a larger man with wrinkles contouring his face. He wore a hospital nightgown and looked as though he was still getting used to the fact that he could walk again.

The very sight of this moment broke Melinda's heart. She didn't want this, what looked like a, kind old man to be another victim of this dark spirit that lived in Gabriel. She was just so unsure about how to approach this situation, but she knew that she didn't have time to think. She stepped forward, "Or, you can go into the light now and be with those who love you and that you love." She said as she glanced over at Gabriel.

The man looked at Melinda, "They don't want me there." He said with disappointment in his voice.

"That is what Gabriel here wants you to believe." She told the spirit, "He wants to use you to hurt the living." She continued.

Gabriel glared at Melinda, "I don't want to hurt anyone. I want to help the dead." He argued. He looked back to the spirit, "She doesn't know what's on the other side of the light, and no one does. I am sure you want to stay where you know you will be safe and you will not be judged." He said to him, "She blindly sends people into the light thinking she is doing a good thing, but in reality she could be doing such harm. What if the other side of that light is pain and – " he continued to bring Melinda down before he was cut off.

"What's your name?" Melinda asked.

The man looked at her, "Alan." He told her.

"Alan, is your wife no longer alive?" Melinda continued asking.

Alan shook his head, "She passed away four years ago." He explained.

Melinda nodded, "have you seen her since you passed away?"

Alan shook his head.

Melinda smiled, "Alan, that means she is in the light. She is waiting for you to join her." She explained to him. "Now, do you have family that is still alive? Like children or grandchildren?" She asked.

Alan's face was overflowing with pride as he thought about her question. "I left behind eight children, twenty grandchildren, and even three great grandchildren."

Melinda's smile grew, "Congratulations." She said to him. She then looked at Gabriel, "How would you feel, Alan, if something happened to them. They were hurt, or worse?" She asked.

Alan's pride fell to horror, "That would be worse than my own death." He said to the two living people.

Melinda looked at Alan, "Why take that risk?" She asked, "If you know your wife is waiting for you to join her, and you don't want any harm to come to your family then why don't you just go into the light and see for yourself?" She asked him.

Alan looked just beyond Melinda, "I see my wife…she wasn't there last time I saw the light." He said to Melinda.

"Because sometimes spirits want to block you for the same reason Gabriel was trying to get you to stay. They have fear of the unknown, but once you are at peace, there is no more fear. So, go be with your wife." She said now with tears starting to form in her eyes.

Alan nodded, "Alright." He said as he began to walk into it and disappeared.

Melinda looked at Gabriel with anger in her face.

Gabriel gave Melinda the same glare, but he simply turned around and began to walk away. "Congratulations, you won this round." He said with his back turned to her.

"Why are you here?" She asked him.

Gabriel stopped but he didn't turn around, "I told the truth to that man, I want to help the dead." He said sincerely.

"By hurting the living?" She asked.

Gabriel let out a chuckle, "You have no idea." He said. Then he just left without another word.

Melinda didn't know what to think about this situation. She decided to just wait it out and see what his next move would be. She turned and returned to the store.

Delia saw Melinda enter the store, "Hey, did you two cross anymore ghosts over?" She asked almost jokingly.

Melinda looked up at Delia with a chuckle, "No, but I did on my own." She said as she walked into the back room.

Delia followed, "Really? When?" She asked.

Melinda still felt a little weird about Delia being so involved in this part of her world. "Just now, Gabriel was trying to get him to stay, and I knew I had to stop him from collecting another soul." She explained.

Delia went into a slight shock, "So you talked to Gabriel?" She asked. "What did he say?"

"Honestly, nothing. But it's not surprising, since I can't imagine he would say anything to me, the person that wants to stop him." Melinda answered as she started digging through boxes in the back room. She pulled out some antiques, "Want to help me get this stuff inventoried and on the shelf?" She asked, changing the subject.

Delia nodded and grabbed a few pieces and brought them out front.

Melinda looked over some of the pieces of this collection she had received at a state sale. She found a jewelry box in the box. She started to look through it to make sure nothing was left inside. She thought it was beautiful. She brought it out front. "Look at this." She showed Delia the oak jewelry box.

"It's fantastic." Delia answered, "that should sell fast."

Melinda looked over it, "It did…I think I am going to take it." She said. "I have been sort of replacing old with new…or in this case new with old!" She said with perk.

Delia nodded, "I know what that's like. Good bye to all memories of your life before." She said.

Melinda shook her head as she looked over her new possession, "No, it has nothing to do with losing Jim. I just feel like a little change, that's all." She said as she walked back into the back room.

Delia looked at the jewelry box with a knowing smirk. "Mel, you may know the dead, but I know the living. This is a –" she started.

Melinda returned to the front of the store cutting Delia off, "No…I swear it's not that…" She started, when she really knew it was. She wanted to start over; she just didn't really want to admit that. She would always love Jim and it broke her heart to lose him twice and to now look at everything they made together. She started to tear up; "yeah…" she said as she wiped away the tear, "we should get this stuff inventoried…" she said changing the subject.

Delia gave her a comforting smile and nodded, "alright, let's get started on all of this great new stuff." She said as she started to grab the antiques.

Later that day, Jordan returned to her apartment where her sister, Amber, was sitting on the couch. Jordan looked at her, "How was your day?"

Amber smiled, "good, I went for a walk and then just came back here. Pretty uneventful." She answered. "How was yours?"

Jordan nodded, "good, I met this woman named Melinda…she can see spirits too." She said with enthusiasm as she sat next to her sister. "I gotta tell you, it's a welcome change…" she said.

Amber's face lightened up, "she can see spirits?" She inquired excitedly.

Jordan nodded, "and then there's Eli who can hear them but not see them." She continued. She got up and walked to the kitchen where she grabbed a carton of milk and a glass. "There is definitely something about this town." She said as she poured the milk into a glass.

Amber's excitement changed to that of worry. "I just sometimes worry about what it is about this town that draws people like you here." She said.

Jordan walked back over to her sister with a filled glass of milk, "Oh, don't worry…ghosts can't hurt living people." She said, "Nor do they really want to." She explained.

Amber looked at her sister without a word. She sat there in silence for a few moments. Then she finally spoke, "did you talk about me at all?" She asked.

Jordan nodded, "I said that you were the only one to believe me and that we live here together." She explained.

Amber nodded, "that's all?" She asked, "maybe I will go with to meet her one day." She blurted out with a nervous smile.

Jordan shook her head, "You can't meet her yet…" she commanded.

Amber sighed, "Why? I want to meet this woman." She explained.

Jordan turned to Amber, "Promise me, you will stay away from her until I am ready…I only just met her…" she pleaded.

"Ok…" Amber stated disappointed in her sister's anxiety about Melinda. "But, I mean…she's not the very first person you met…" She explained.

Jordan got up and walked into her room, as she walked away she stated, "Yeah, I know…but I really like Melinda…"

"Just, don't make any mistakes." Amber warned her sister as she heard the door shut. "Seriously, you like this girl…" she said to herself.

The following morning Jordan walked into Rick's office. "Morning!" She said with a bright smile.

Rick was hard at work at a laptop as Jordan walked into the office, "Good…morning!" He said as he finished up typing something and shut the laptop. He looked up at his assistant and smiled with his hands on the computer.

Jordan looked at the laptop in Rick's hands, "What's that? Not to pry…" She inquired.

Rick looked at it, "it's my personal laptop…I am writing a book." He explained.

Jordan's curiosity was sparked, "Oh, a book? Can I read it?" She asked as she sat in one of the professor's plush seats in front of his desk.

Rick shook his head, "Not this one…it's a little more private. I don't think I will ever even publish it." He began to explain. "It's…kind of a biography." He said.

Jordan looked at him with a very confused look on her face, "About?" She asked before realizing. "It's about Melinda isn't it?" She asked with enthusiasm.

Rick stood up and walked over to the door to his office. "Yeah…" He stated as he shut the door and leaned against the door. "She doesn't know about it yet. Which is why I don't think I will ever publish it. She's rather…private." He continued.

Jordan looked at the computer, "So, everything you know about Melinda is in that computer?" She asked.

Rick nodded, "in a very, fictional kind of way. It's not really a biography…it's more like a fictional story based on a true story." He tried to explain it further. "Melinda would know automatically that it was about her. So, if I publish it without her knowing. Well, she would not be happy with me." He said as he walked back to his desk and packed away the computer. "Promise you will not say anything. I will tell her when I finish it." He demanded of Jordan.

Jordan nodded, "No worries, I won't say anything." She said with a smile.

Rick nodded with a smile, "Good." He straightened out his suit and grabbed his briefcase, "Are you ready to go to class?" He asked.

Jordan's smile grew. She stood up and said, "Yup," with perk.

Rick laughed, "You are way too perky for this profession. It'll fade." He joked as he opened the door and allowed her to go through the door first.

Jordan walked through the door followed by Rick. He shut the door to his office and locked it. The two started to their class. They passed by a few other students reading newspapers and books. One student even napped on a couch.

One of the students lowered his book revealing Gabriel. He watched the two walk out the door of the building. He quickly got up and followed them.


	3. True Enemies and Fake Friends

Let me just quickly; again, explain this story…this is where I think would have been a better direction the show should have gone. I think this whole Jim in Sam's body was a terrible choice. I have even stopped watching Ghost Whisperer since this season started. I just can't stand it. I want to get this story out before I give up on Ghost Whisperer all together. If you like the story, I am sorry if I offend you for hating it so much. But I really just can't stand it.

Quick recap!

Melinda and Jordan got to know each other a little bit more. Melinda crossed a ghost over as Gabriel tried to stop her. Gabriel is now following Rick and Jordan!

~Chapter 3~

Rick entered his classroom with Jordan. He walked to the front of the students with his regular abrasive attitude he had as he entered lecture mode. "Good morning!" He shouted. "Let's get started right away, we have a huge lecture today." He said with a smirk. He then looked over to Jordan, "Miss Frank!" He blurted out.

Jordan sprang to attention, "Yes, sir?" She asked.

"Could you please pass out the reading to the victims?" He commanded of his assistant.

Jordan nodded with a smile and began giving out packets of papers to each student. She smiled and mouthed a "hello" to Ned as she gave him a packet.

As Jordan passed out the readings, Rick began his lecture. "You will read this packet and you will write a seven page paper on what you are reading by next week!" He began. "Now, in this reading you will learn the history of some mythology surrounding the idea of spirits, ghosts, and all other names of apparitions." He continued.

Jordan finished her journey around the students and joined Rick in the front of the room. She paid attention to Rick as he continued to speak.

"Let's talk about some of the things you will be reading. You will –" Rick began speaking as he saw someone enter the room. His face went to that of a severe discomfort.

Ned looked at Rick's face change. He looked around to see if he could figure out what was happening. He looked to the back of the room and saw Gabriel standing next to the door. His hands folded with attention to Rick. Ned returned his gaze to Rick, hoping Gabriel didn't notice his look. He decided Melinda needed to know this. He slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and began to silently text with it. After he pressed send he slipped it back into his pocket, hoping no one noticed.

Melinda stood at the counter looking over some of her business' books and Delia skimmed the artifacts with a duster.

Melinda's cell phone lit up and began ringing. She looked over to it and saw she received a text from Ned. "Ned just sent me a text." She said with confusion in her voice.

Delia looked over to Melinda, "He supposed to be in class right now…" she said as a mother would. She walked over to the counter to see what Ned had to say.

Melinda checked the text. She read aloud, "Gabriel is in the classroom." She looked at Delia, "Oh, my God."

Delia's eyes widened at the thought of Ned being in any kind of trouble. "What is he doing there?" She demanded to know.

Melinda shook her head as she ran into the back room and grabbed her jacket and purse. She also grabbed Delia's things and came back out in front. She handed Delia her purse and jacket, "I have no idea, but we need to get down there now." She said as she put her jacket on and rushed out the door.

Delia nodded as she put her jacket on and followed Melinda out of the store. She grabbed her keys from her bag and locked the door behind them.

Melinda got into her red SUV and started it. She made sure the passenger door was unlocked for Delia to get in. Once Delia was in and buckled Melinda began speeding in the direction of the University.

At the same time, Eli's phone also went off due to the same text Ned sent to Melinda. Eli had been reading a book in his quiet office. He looked at the text and looked around nervously. He had only heard stories of this Gabriel. "Well, looks like I finally get to know this guy first hand." He said as he got up and hurried to the building that housed this lecture room.

Rick had stood silent in the front of the class still stunned at seeing Gabriel. He shook his head and began lecturing again. He had already accidentally let Gabriel know of his discomfort, this would put Gabriel in a good position but bad for everyone else. He just couldn't help but remember what Gabriel had managed to do only a couple of years before. Gabriel and his dark spirits were able to actually kill Melinda, even if it had been for a few moments. This then brought an idea to Rick. His worry turned to a sneaky smirk. "Ladies and gentlemen!" He blurted out as he walked up to Gabriel and grabbed him by the shoulder. "This is Gabriel Lawrence, a friend of mine." He continued as he led him to the front of the class.

Gabriel was very confused upon this change of power. Rick had managed to take him completely out of control. 'What is he doing?' he thought in his head as he looked into a dark corner of the room.

Jordan's gaze also managed to go to the back of the room where she noticed dark figures in the shadows.

The figures were menacing. They were in complete silhouette. There were seven that she was able to count. They were giving off many emotions and none of them good. She could barely stand now that she had seen them and felt their dark power. She was beginning to wonder what it is she had gotten herself into.

"He, my friends, is the perfect example of a dark spirit in human form." He blurted out. He knew this would probably turn into a mistake, but he didn't care at this point. Any shot he had at unveiling Gabriel so no one fell under his charm like Melinda had at first. "Take notes guys! This guy is a perfect case study."

Gabriel was now filled with rage as he pulled away from Rick's grip. He looked at all the students who all glared at him with judgment. He knew he needed an out. This was supposed to be a sneak "attack" (for lack of a better term) and now he was in the spotlight. He looked at Rick, "Thank you, professor." He said with a smile and a nod. He then looked at the students, "for a marvelous introduction. It is true; I am very much connected to the world of spirits." He started.

Eli had just made it into the room as Gabriel started speaking. He kept his phone in his hand ready to call for police if things got physically dangerous, and he kept his ears open just in case any spirits were around.

Melinda and Delia managed to get to the campus in record time. They jumped out of the car and grabbed the closest person they could manage to find. "Where is Professor Payne teaching his class?" Melinda demanded.

Luckily, this was one of Rick's colleagues and he happened to know just where his class was this morning. "Yeah, it's in the Century building. Lecture room 300." He said as he pointed to the building. He wasn't even able to finish before the two began running in the direction of the building.

"I just hope it isn't too late!" Delia yelled as they reached the Century Building. She was fighting back tears knowing that Ned could possibly be in any trouble. She had been worried about this from the beginning, as soon as Ned got involved in Melinda's work.

Melinda ran into the building. She didn't have time to look for the building. She ran to the information desk, "where is lecture room 300?"

The woman was surprised by her desperate plea for information. "Third level, right up those stairs and directly to your left." She stated in the same rushing tone. "Is everything alright?" She asked.

Melinda nodded, "Thank you, and I can only hope so." She said as she ran up the stairs. She passed Delia on her way up and grabbed her friend by the hand. "It's this way!" She exclaimed as they got up to the third level. She looked into the room and saw Eli standing there, "Eli!" She called out as she ran to the room.

Eli heard his name and looked over. He went to greet her when the door slammed shut between the three of them. "No!" Eli yelled as he tried to open the door. The lights began to flicker until they died all together. The emergency lights kicked in giving the room a very eerie feel.

Everyone in the room looked at Eli with surprise. Rick's worry was beginning to elevate as he saw the door slam shut. He turned to Jordan, "Where's the spirit?" He asked.

Jordan was still fixating on the dark spirits feeding off of her energy. She simply pointed to them as Rick asked his question.

Rick looked up and saw nothing, "why do I look?" He asked himself as he grabbed Jordan by the hand ran up to join Eli.

Gabriel had stopped talking and was simply smiling. He was once again in the driver's seat, it felt good to him.

"Eli!" He called out. He reached his fellow professor, "you two deal with the spirits. Jordan says they're over there." He whispered as he pointed. "I'll try to get the door open." He finished. "Mel?" He asked as he put his ear up to the door.

"Rick!" Melinda exclaimed as she jiggled the door knob. "I can't get the door open! It's jammed!" She panicked.

"Is everyone alright?" Delia asked, with an agenda to know if Ned was alright.

Ned had followed Rick to the door, "Yeah, mom, I'm ok." He said as he tried to help Rick open the door. "Man, this thing is really stuck."

Eli and Jordan walked up to the spirits hoping to make some sort of progress on getting them out of the room. He looked at Jordan, "Do you…want…me…"

Jordan nodded. She couldn't speak, she could barely move.

Eli saw her discomfort; he didn't know why she was the only one affected. "Umm…Why did you lock us in this room?" He asked.

The students were stunned, and didn't know what to do. They simply watched everything that was happening.

One of the dark spirits stepped forward. Even in the light he was completely shadowed over. Jordan could only see a black figure standing in front of Eli and herself. "He told us to," said the spirit in a very low gravelly voice.

Jordan and Eli looked back to Gabriel who leaned against a desk. His arms were crossed and he had very pompous smirk across his face. The two of them looked at each other.

"I think we're in trouble." Eli said to the younger spirit seer.

Rick continued trying to get out of the room, or at least to Melinda. He turned back to Eli and Jordan, "Any luck guys?" He asked in a desperate plea.

The dark spirit walked up to Eli and placed where his face would be next to Eli's ear. "We will stop you…" he said as he disappeared with all the other spirits. The lights flicked back on after the disappearance of the spirits.

Eli was paralyzed in fear as he heard the voice so close to him. He looked at Jordan, "This isn't good." He said to her.

The door flung open as Rick gave it one last pull. He went flying with the door and hit the wall behind him. "Ow." He said with a smack.

Melinda and Delia ran into the room as soon as the door opened.

Delia ran to Ned and took him in her arms. Tears streamed down her face, she had never been so scared before in her whole life. "You're alright!"

Ned hugged his mother back, "Yeah, mom. I was scared." He said to his mother.

Melinda saw Rick and hugged him. She had never been so happy to see that he was alright.

Rick hugged her back very tightly. He was so happy that this nightmare appeared to be over, but all he could think was, for how long?

Melinda looked at him after their embrace. "I…" she said as she looked into his eyes. Maybe it was the drama of the moment, but she saw something new in him, the same thing she once saw in Jim. "I'm glad you're ok." She said as she embraced him again.

Eli and Jordan joined the other four. "Ok, Melinda, we need to talk more." Jordan said with shock.

Melinda nodded, "Yeah, I'll catch you up soon." She said with tears falling from her eyes.

Gabriel walked up to them with the same smirk as before. "Stay out of my way." He threatened.

The six of them looked at Gabriel with fear ridden eyes. They knew he was dangerous, but somehow his power was increasing. That did not make them happy.

Gabriel then left the lecture room leaving his six enemies huddled together in fear.

"Uhh, class um…dismissed." Rick stammered out of his mouth to his students, who were all still incredibly shocked.

The students gathered their things in silence and walked out of the room.

Rick looked at his friends, "Not sure how I am going to explain this."

Melinda forced a chuckle out at his worry. "What are we going to do?" She asked out loud.

No one was able to answer her, because no one knew what could possibly happen next. They were horribly disturbed by this last encounter and were all completely speechless.

Delia put her arm around her son's neck, "let's get home. You can take the rest of the day off." She offered to him.

Ned shook his head, "the last thing we should do is let this overly affect us. That let's Gabriel win." He said.

Delia was impressed by her son's bravery. "You got that from her you know." She said with a proud smile and pointing to Melinda. "Let me know if anything happens. I'll see you when you get home later, ok?" She said trying to be just as brave as her son.

Ned smiled and nodded, "I'll call you and stop by the store, so you don't have to worry." He said hoping to get her to feel better.

Delia nodded. She then looked at the others, "Mel, I'll wait for you at the car." She said as she glanced at Rick with a smile.

Melinda nodded, "I'll be down in a minute." She told Delia.

"I'll, uh, walk with you." Eli said. He then looked at Jordan, "wanna walk with me?" He asked as he held out his arm.

Jordan nodded, "Sure." She said as she took his arm in hers.

The three of them walked out of the lecture hall leaving Melinda and Rick alone.

Rick looked at Melinda the same way he always had in the past. He was so in love with her, but she was married then. And now, now she was a mourning widow; he was never in the right place at the right time. "I am glad everything turned out for the best. At least in this situation."

Melinda nodded, "back after something like this happened, Jim would…" She started. It broke her heart to think about Jim. "He would give me a kiss, and hug me until I felt better." She said to him.

Rick had no idea why she was telling him this, but she needed to talk, so he was willing to listen. After all, he was in love. "Mel, I am so sorry…" he was finally able to say to her. He was away on sabbatical when Jim died both times, and he had been too busy to truly address the issue since his return.

Melinda nodded. She nervously reached up and kissed him on the lips. It felt weird; she had only kissed Jim for years. Even when he was in Sam's body, it was still Jim, and he kissed like Jim. She knew Rick loved her, and now she felt herself beginning to fall for him. She wanted to see where this would go.

Rick was surprised by her sudden kiss. He wasn't going to fight it, but he didn't know what to do. Was he taking advantage of the situation? Or was she really falling for him? They were just passing thoughts as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.

Eli, Jordan, and Ned walked Delia back to Melinda's car. "Thanks everyone, but I think I am ok now." She said. It was easy for her to return to normal, she was really only worried about Ned. Sure she worried about what this meant for the future, which is why she planned on talking to Ned about staying out of it.

"Oh, I have to run and get something!" Jordan announced. "I'll see you guys later." She said as she ran off. She jogged back in the direction of the office building when she was stopped by Gabriel. "You…" She said sternly.

Gabriel smirked and walked up to Jordan. "Look at you being stern." He mocked her.

"You need to be more careful." She said, "Big stunts like that can't happen just yet." She said looking him directly in the eyes.

Gabriel laughed, "Since when have you been in charge of this operation?"

Jordan walked a few feet away from Gabriel, "Since I found Melinda's ultimate weakness." She said with conviction.

Gabriel was intrigued. "What is this?" He asked as he walked up to her.

Jordan turned to Gabriel, "Well, Rick has been writing a book all about Melinda. I am sure we can find something out in there." She explained, "Now, if you will let me get there before Rick. I can get it and bring it to you." She finished.

Gabriel smiled, "Alright, get it." He said to her.

Jordan nodded and ran back to the office. After she reached the office, she went directly to the drawer that Rick had put the computer in. She attempted to open it, but it was locked. "Damn…" she said. Rick was smart enough to lock the drawer with something so important to him. She messed around on his desk to see if he had left the key anywhere. "No…key…" She said disappointedly. She heard someone walking towards the office. She walked to the door and peered out.

Rick was walking down the corridor happily, seeing as how he had just kissed the girl of his dreams. He saw Jordan sticking her head out the door, "Jordan!" He shouted as he ran to his office. "You feel better? You looked pretty intense with the spirits there." He said with the same perk he had mocked coming from her before.

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah. The spirits were just letting off some intense energy and it was overpowering." She informed him.

Rick nodded, "I am just glad it's over. Anyway, we have another class to get to. Let's go." He said as he grabbed some more papers from inside his office and walked out the door.

Jordan looked back at Payne's desk with disappointment. She then shut the door to his office and followed Rick to his next class.

---------------

I plan to update this story every Saturday! So keep checking back!


	4. The Reveal

So, some of you were surprised to find that Jordan is a bad guy…sorry if it made you upset haha…I have a huge story involving our four mediums (including Eli in these four).

On with the fic!

~Chapter 4~

The following day Jordan was heading up to the office that she shared with Rick. She was hoping that he was working on his book again. That way, it would be easier to get her hands on it. She was only steps away from the closed door when she was stopped by Gabriel.

"Do you have that information yet?" Gabriel asked with slight irritation from behind her.

Jordan rolled her eyes and turned to him, "No, I don't." She whispered. "Now, get out of here." She attempted to push him away. She may be working for Gabriel, but for a very selfish reason. He actually annoyed her. Jordan liked Melinda and her friends a lot more.

Gabriel looked at her with judgment, "You aren't questioning me are you?" He inquired to her.

Truth be told, she was. His little adventure the previous day scared her. She had no idea he was going to use that kind of scare tactic on them. Not to mention she didn't like the dark spirits he had with him. She hadn't seen them before. She wasn't sure if she could trust him anymore, but he was the only one who could and would help. Even Melinda wouldn't help in her one desire, she knew that. "No, of course not," she lied. "I just don't want them to know about our partnership yet. I just got their trust. I don't want to ruin that yet." She continued then turned away from Gabriel and approached Rick's office. She walked in as quietly as possible. She looked at Rick with sadness on her face.

Rick was typing away at his secret computer when he noticed his assistant had walked into the office. He observed her for a moment. She was leaning against the door and looking at him seeming to be on the verge of tears. "Are you okay?" He asked with worry.

Jordan forced a smile and nodded, "yeah…" She told him. She then walked over to the desk, "What are you doing?"

"Working on that book I told you about yesterday." He told her. "Want to read the beginning?"

Jordan nodded and walked over to the computer. "Does it start with when you met her?" She asked.

Rick nodded, "Yeah, she came to me with all these crazy questions. None of it made any sense until she told me what she could do." He explained. He stood up and offered her his seat.

Jordan sat down and began to read with Rick standing over her, also reading.

In the meantime Melinda and Delia had opened the store and were already helping a lot of customers. The store was abnormally busy today. Melinda was helping customers on the floor and Delia was checking them out at the register.

During the first lull of the day, Delia looked at Melinda who looked exhausted. "How about I run over to Village Java and get us some coffee." She offered.

Melinda smiled, "That would be great!"

"I'll hurry just in case we get another herd soon." Delia smiled, grabbed her things, and headed across the square for some coffee.

Melinda laughed as she watched Delia left. She let out a sigh of relief of having a couple of minutes by herself. She walked into the back room and grabbed a box of new arrivals. "I think we've been going a little hog wild." She laughed to herself as she took the box to the front. She began pulling things out of the box. These had come from the same state sale she had taken the jewelry box from. She had decided to put more out since they had spent the morning selling.

About ten minutes later, Delia returned to the store with coffee in her hands. "So, still quiet?" She asked.

Melinda nodded, "a couple of customers, but nothing I couldn't handle by myself." She walked up to Delia and took the cup that Delia handed her. "Oh, caffeine! You are a life saver!" She exasperated.

Eli had just ended class. He walked out to find Ned waiting for him. "Hey, Ned." He said with surprise.

"So, what do you think will happen now?" Ned asked.

Eli didn't know how to answer, mostly because he had no answer. He didn't know what would happen next. As far as he knew, Gabriel hadn't gone this far before. This was scaring everyone. Melinda was just good at pretending things weren't bothering her. He shook his head, "I don't know. Got some time? Maybe we can talk about this in a more private place." Eli told the young college student.

Ned nodded, "It needs to be secret from here on out. Yesterday scared my mom so bad, she doesn't want me to be involved anymore."

Eli shrugged, "I can't blame her. You really should have to be involved."

"But I am," Ned stated. Maybe he didn't have to be involved, but he was, and planned to stay that way. Melinda was like his older sister, he didn't want to see her get hurt, the more heads and people on her side, the better. He followed Eli to his office to talk.

After Jordan finished reading the first few chapters of Rick's novel, Jordan was amazed. She never realized what Gabriel had put them all through. Now she really questioned her standing with him. She turned to Rick, "it's great." She said to him.

Rick looked very proud of himself. "Thanks, do you think Melinda would give me the go ahead to publish it? She's pretty private about her life." He explained.

Jordan shook her head, "I don't know her well enough."

Rick nodded, "No, no I suppose you don't, do you?" He laughed.

Later on that day, Jordan and Rick met Eli for lunch at a fast food restaurant on campus. The three sat together at a table. They had decided earlier to not talk about the situation that Gabriel had put them in. They just wanted to have a peaceful lunch without worrying about Gabriel making his next move. Now that he had become more aggressive it was always on their minds, especially Jordan's.

Jordan may not have been talking about it, but she was thinking about it. Had she made a mistake? However, mistake or not she needed him. 'Why do I have to depend on a man who is obviously messed up?' She continued to ask herself.

"Jordan?" Eli asked.

Jordan was snapped out of her thoughts. "What?" She asked.

"What's wrong?" Rick asked.

The two men had noticed her deep in thought and were worried. She had changed a great deal since the day before and they wanted to make sure she was alright.

Jordan shook her head, "Nothing, just a lot on my mind right now." She said which was true. She just hoped they didn't start interrogating her. She didn't want to explain what was going on just yet. She at least needed to understand it herself first.

"You sure?" Eli asked with care in his voice. He may have only known her for a few days, but he was starting to develop feelings for her. It was one of those moments of "love at first sight" really. He caught a sight of the clock and realized he was late for a meeting. He jumped up, "Oh man! I need to get going. Sorry, I forgot I have a meeting at 1:30!" He exclaimed in a panic as he gathered his things and ran out the restaurant.

Rick kept his eyes on Jordan. He knew something was up, but he just couldn't figure out what it was. "Should we get going?" He asked. He may have known something was going on, but he wasn't going to pry.

Jordan nodded and stood up to leave. She remained quiet, since she just couldn't get this whole situation out of her mind. She had read up to the part where Rick and Melinda had met Gabriel. He had tricked Melinda, could he have tricked her as well? She needed to figure a few things out. She and Rick had already been halfway back to their office when she finally spoke up, "Can I take the rest of the day off? We only have office hours." She asked.

Rick wasn't sure what was happening. He wanted to know, but he didn't know how to get her to talk about it. He nodded, "sure you can." He told her. "What's been going on?" He asked again, hoping to get a better answer.

Jordan knew he was going to ask again. She had started out her time with Rick perky and now she had completely withdrawn herself. She wasn't too good at hiding emotions apparently. "Just, some things I have learned today. Really it's not important. I think I need some sleep." She said as she ran off.

Later Melinda met Rick at his office, "Hey!" She belted as she walked in. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. Basically since Jim had been alive. Granted they never said anything about starting a relationship, but they had kissed.

Rick smiled at Melinda and approached her, "hey, Melinda!" He said to her. He wasn't sure how to greet her, things weren't left as obvious as he had hoped. He knew he only had a few moments to decide. So he just threw caution to the wind and held his arms open for a hug. He took Melinda in his arms in a long embrace.

After their hug, Melinda looked around, "Where's Jordan?"

"She left a little early today. She's been a little weird since what happened yesterday." Rick informed her.

Melinda understood. Jordan was still young; it was obvious she hadn't experienced dark spirits yet. Not to mention Grandview was a hotplate for dark spirits. "I'm sure she'll be fine." She concluded.

Rick nodded, "Yeah, I know she will be." Rick stated with a smile.

Melinda heard a noise coming from outside the office. She followed it to find an older female ghost yelling at an older man in a suit. "Rick, who's that?" She asked pointing at the haunted man.

The man she had been pointing to was a larger set man in his early sixties. He stood in front of a desk speaking to another man, this one younger.

The woman was a little younger than the older man. She wore a muumuu nightgown and shouting at the man. "Look at me when I am talking to you!" She shouted.

Rick peered out the door and looked to where Melinda was pointing. "That's the head of my department. His name is Harry Long…why?" He asked.

Melinda smirked with a chuckle, "What do you think?"

Rick knew what that meant, there was a ghost nearby. He looked all around Harry trying to locate this ghost. "It really irritates me that I can't see ghosts…it really does." He pouted as he watched Melinda approach Harry.

"Harry Long?" She asked.

Harry turned around and nodded, "Can I help you with something?" He asked. He towered over Melinda. He had to have stood over six feet.

Melinda nodded, "I am a friend of Rick Payne. Can I speak with you for a moment in his office?" She requested.

Harry looked at Rick and then back down to Melinda and nodded. "Sure," he agreed and began to follow Melinda into the office.

Rick also began following them in, but he was stopped by Melinda.

"No, stay here for now." She said to him.

"It's my office!" Rick exclaimed. He wanted to be in there and watch her work. He also wanted to see Harry's, a huge skeptic of any form of afterlife let alone ghosts, reaction to this news of a ghost haunting him. He let out a sigh, "fine," he said without too much of a fight. If there was one thing he learned about Melinda, she always got her way no matter what.

Melinda smiled and shut the door on Rick, who stood there still in disbelief that he was kicked out of his own office.

Inside the office, Melinda turned to Harry. She saw the woman standing behind him. She was still very distraught, but she had quieted down. Melinda looked into her eyes and nodded.

"Wait, you can see me?" She asked Melinda in disbelief.

Melinda nodded and walked over to the two of them, "Rick told me about your loss." She said with sadness, "I'm sorry."

Harry looked at her with a confused look in his eyes, "what loss?" He asked. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Oh, you mean my wife. Well she died a few years ago. Is that why you brought me in here?" He asked. Needless to say, he was completely confused. His wife had died almost three years ago and he wasn't sure why he was getting condolences now from someone whom he'd never met.

Melinda had been certain she had only recently passed, 'I guess everyone can be wrong.' She thought to herself. "Well, actually, why I brought you in here was to tell you…" she began. She stopped herself remembering who she was dealing with. She thought back to how Rick was when they had first known each other. Could she handle another Occult Professor who was too skeptical for his own good? "Your wife is still with you." She said to him in a very matter-of-fact tone.

Harry looked at her in disbelief. He thought she was crazy, "and you're a friend of Payne's?" He asked.

Melinda nodded, "Yes. He's been helping me for a few years when I needed some information about the Occult." She explained to him. "Your wife has a message for you." She finally let out. She looked at the wife, "Go ahead…" She said.

The woman smiled; finally she was able to express herself to her husband. "Tell him that he needs to make up with our son." She said. The energy she let off was that of complete sadness. "I didn't get to see him for the last four years of my life. He didn't even come to my funeral. The two of them had a falling out."

The story broke Melinda's heart. She then looked back to Harry, "You need to go to your son." She said to him, "she wants you to make up with your son. She can't move on until then."

Harry refused to listen to this, not that he believed it, but he had heard nothing but "make up with Jeffrey" from his wife for years. "How'd you know about my son?" He asked in a very judgmental tone.

"Your wife just told me!" She exclaimed. "She's standing right behind you. The day she died, she was wearing a pink floral muumuu night gown, which tells me she probably died in her sleep at home." She explained.

Harry was taken aback; she knew what she wore the day she died? How? "How do you know this?" He continued to ask now trying not to believe her.

"Go make up with your son. It is her final dying wish." Melinda exclaimed now with tears forming in her eyes. She hated when people didn't believe her. It always meant they thought she was crazy. "That's all I can do for you." She said as she opened the door revealing Rick still standing at the door.

Rick had heard what went on the office and showed a sign of embarrassment as he looked at his colleague. "I'd believe her." He said. "I know I didn't…and she has proven me wrong more times than not. Actually, she's never been disproven." He recalled as he walked into the office and over to Harry.

Harry said nothing; he just stood up and walked out of the office.

Rick looked at Melinda, "Well, that's going to make life here difficult." He told her.

Melinda smiled, "I'm sorry." She said trying not to laugh.

Rick looked at her, "This isn't funny, as far as they knew I was still a huge skeptic!" He replied now also trying not to laugh.

The two left together laughing.

A few minutes after Rick and Melinda had left the office, Jordan slinked into the office. She looked around trying to see if there was any reason Rick would need to return to his office. After she realized it looked like he was gone for the night, she took a bobby pin out of her purse and began to pick the lock that stood between her and the laptop.

Melinda and Rick said their goodbyes right outside the building he had his office in, they had gone out for dinner together to talk about the most recent developments in this Gabriel incident. They managed to keep the developments of their relationship (or lack thereof) out of the dinner talk.

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Melinda said to him.

Rick nodded, "yeah, until then." He replied. He didn't know if it would be ok, but he decided to try it anyway. He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Melinda smiled and walked away from him.

Rick made his way back up to his office. He unlocked the door and walked in to find his desk had been broken into. He looked and noticed that his laptop with the book he was writing was missing. "What?" He exclaimed as he looked around. "The door was locked, and only two other people who have keys are Jordan and the Janitor." He thought out loud. He ran out of his office and saw Jordan sneaking out of the building with his laptop. "What the…?" He asked himself as he followed her.

Jordan got into her car and put the computer in the backseat. Upon starting the car she was surprised by Rick opening the passenger side door and getting inside.

"Tell me something." He said as he situated himself in the car and shut the door. "Is this the first time you have stolen something, or is this a recurring thing?" He asked as he reached into the back and grabbed his laptop.

Jordan locked the doors and started driving. "This is the first time." She said.

"Let me out." He sternly told her with his laptop in his arms.

"I can't do that." Jordan told him. "I need to give that laptop to someone."

Rick was starting to get nervous, "Who could you possibly have to give that to?" He asked.

At the same time, Amber ran into Eli's office.

Eli was looking through some books on the bookcase so his back was to the door.

"You're Eli James, right?" She burst out in a panic.

"Yeah, what can I do for you?" He asked still turned away from Amber.

"Ok good, I need you to come with me now." She told him, "My sister is in trouble." She told him.

"Who's your sister?"

"Jordan Franks."

Eli's eyes widened. 'Jordan's in trouble?' He thought to himself and turned around to see no one standing there. "Hello?" He asked.

"Oh, that's right, she never told you." Amber said as she walked over to Eli.

"You're…dead?" He asked in shock.

Amber nodded, "Yeah. Four years ago. I was a year older. My death hit her hard, so I decided to stick around. Then she met Gabriel."

"Gabriel?" Eli was amazed, "So she met Gabriel before she came here?" He asked.

"Yeah, he promised he could bring me back to life. So she made a pact with him." She said. "I'm sorry it took me so long to come out and say something."

Eli was in shock, "she works for Gabriel…what happened yesterday was…"

"No, she didn't call them in. She told me about it later. She started questioning her trust in Gabriel when he did that. But now she's on her way to see him." She explained further.

"Where?" Eli said as he grabbed his coat and keys.

"His house is at 345 45th Ave." She told him.

"Got it!" He said as he ran out the door. "You're coming, yes?" He asked as he continued to run.

"Of course. Just help my sister."

-

There you have it…sorry it wasn't that great. Bit of writer's block this week. See you all next week!


End file.
